Kerala Sarkara varatti recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1. Plantain - 3
2. Powdered jaggery - 2 cup
3. Dry ginger powder - 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.)
4. Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon (tsp.)
5. Ghee - 1/4 cup
6. Coconut oil - to fry.

PREPARATION:

1. Peel the skin off of the plantain and cut each of them into half length wise.
2. Cut each into 1/2 cm thick pieces again and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and heat it at medium-high flame. Now fry all the plantain pieces to golden yellow (at least 30 minutes to fry a batch). Now cool this down to room temperature. This is an important step. NOTE: when done you will feel the crispness of the chips when you stir them.
4. Melt the jaggery by adding little water and filter the impurities. Now heat the jaggery until it becomes thick syrup to reach 1 string stage. Now add the fried plantain pieces, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, ghee and mix well until all come together and remove from heat.

NOTES:

1. It is very important for the jaggery syrup to be of the right consistency else the chips will be sticky. The jaggery should be on 1 string consistency i.e one-thread consistency is when a single thread is formed (and does not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently.
2. For making 1kg of sharkkara varatty, you need approximately 600gm jaggery.